NEWS BY THE MAIL

Evening Star, Issue 2922, 1 July 1872, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL

PROFESSOR BLAOK.IE AND HIS STUDENTS. On Tuesday, at the close of the session in the University of Edinburgh, Professor Blackie met his Senior Greek-Class at eleven o’clock to award the prizes to the successful students. We take from the Courant the following report of the proceedings : —The door of the class-room was kept closed until the Professor made his appearance at eleven o’clock. Professor Blackie was greeted with applause, but a few of the students at a corner near the back of the hall made a considerable noise for a time by tramping on the lluor with their feet. After quiet had been restored, the Professor said It was sufficiently obvious to me that certain persons in that corner (pointing to the spot), where evil spirits delight to congregate—(laughter)—have come here for the purpose of making a noise. (Hear, and cries of “Put them out.” I inform these persons that if they continue I stop—(hear)—and delay giving the prizes for another hour. The noise was again begun, and the Professor sat down. Take care of yourselves, he said, or I shall stop, and delay giving the prizes for another hour. 1 shall have no blackguardism here. (Cries of “Goon; go on.”) Starting to his feet, the Professor said—ln the first place, to prevent evil consequences, those persons who do sit in the back seats wi 1 either walk outer comedown here to the front benches Every one of you comedown, or walk out. Every one of you in these three last scats, come down here or walk out. (Applause). Come down here ! Come down here ! The students obeyed the command, and Professor Blackie resumed— I have been unpleasantly reminded at the present moment that I have come to the end of the most unpleasant and the most unsatisfactory session I ever spent in the University of Edinburgh. (Oh !) If you don’t like to hear that, walk out. 1 don’t care. lam not coming here for nonsense, during this session there has been in the city a great amount of sickness and illness. But I must take care what I say. There’s “A chield amang you taking notes, And, faith, he’ll prent them.” (“Oh, oh,” and laughter.) I say, in com* mon with the whole town, I must lament the great amount of sickness and of death and of every kind of sorrow—(“ oh ! ”) — such as has never been within the walls of this room since I have had the honor to sit in this chair ; and I look back on that with deep sorrow, but with no feelings of indignation. But when I consider that there has been a greater amount of students who came to do their work, and came day after day unprepared—(“ oh !”) a greater amount of students absent from their work, and a greater amount who showed that they did not know they were students —(“oh!”) who had no knowledge of their own position, and who were in a manner puerile and ungentlemanly, and disturbed the other students - (“oh!”)—I say these things put together, and coupling them with the disgraceful exhibition in the Music Hall—(hisses and “oh ! ”) disgraceful exhibition, I repeat—(hisses)—inviting a man of high character and science to the town and receiving him, not with mere yells and screams —(hisses and “oh, oh J”)—but with puerilities utterly beneath contempt, that held up the University and students of Edinburgh as a laughing-stock to the whole country, (Hisses and applause). That happeus to le true, whether you will bear it or not, (“Oh, oh!”) I say, therefore, that I look back with sorrow upon this session, and I did not hope to be reminded of that this clay. But there is one consolation. The majority of the students know well what is right, and they can guard what is right, whether in the class-room or not. The majority of the students are gentlemen, and behave like gentlemen—(applause and hisses) — but there are a few fiends or a few fools wl;q bring discredit on the University, {“0)?, oh !” and laughter). May such an exhibibition as that witnessed in the Music Hall ucver occur again ! It is to me the saddest thought and the sharpest pang that has gone to my heart since ever I was connected with education at all. (“Oh!”) However, I won’t vex myself about it. I am not a man to kill myself—(“ oh 1” and laugh-ter)--because a certain number of people happen to bo fools. (“Oh!”) The way to do with these things is first to prevent them if you can—(laughter)—and you generally may. Had we suspected there were such low fellows aiming at philosophy, we should have taken proper precautions; but we did not suspect you. We paid you too high a compliment. We did not think you were so contemptible as you showed yourselves to be on that occasion. (“Oh !”) But when we cannot prevent it, the first thing to do is to despise it, and next to forget it. [At this time the noise was resumed iu the corner which the Professor had previously spoken of as the place “whereevil spirits delight to congregate.”] I am only sorry there should be some persons here going on in that foolish way. Not every cue is bad who is there (pointing to the corner), but you are in bad company. If you walk about with fiends you will be taking for a fiend—(laughter)—and if you walk about with chimney sweepers, all begrimed with smut, yor will bo taken for a chimney sweeper. (Laughter and cockcrowing, the latter noise proceeding from one of the front benches.) That is a silly noise that has been made, and I request those in these three seats (pointing to the place) to walk out. Every man iu these three seats must come out or walk to the door. My order must be obeyed. Walk out or I shall sit down. Go out, the whole of you, or the proceedings shall stop. If you don’t put the persons out who made the noise, what shall be done is just this— I shall meet the class again at two o’clock privately and deliver the prizes. The Professor sat down, and no movement was made by the students in the proscribed benches. r|l ho janitor was then called, and at the request of the Professor, he removed the prize boelcs from the table to the Professor’s room. Before leaving the chair, Professor Blackie renewed the intimation that he would deliver the prizes privately at two o’clock. “I want quietness,” he remarked, and “and don’t want to be disturbed by fools. When you learu to behave like gentlemen I shall treat you as gentlemen, but I know how to answer a fool ‘according to his folly.’” (Cheers and groans.) After tire departure of Professor Blackie the students wished to sit in their seats, but the room was cleared by the janitor. GREAT I'[.non IN INDIA. REPORTED LOSS OF 1,000 LIVES. London, May Bth—Noon.—A despatch just received in this cityjcontains information of 9 terrible calamity which has befallen the

town of Vellore, Madras, British India. During a hurricane, which extended for miles along the eastern shores of the Indian Ocean, the waters rose to an immense height, and swept over the sloping table lands which form the coast boundary of the Presidency of Madras, inundating the country for miles into the interior, the town of Vellore was covered by the flood 5 many hoases werc swept entirely away, and upward of 1,000 ot the unfortunate inhabitants were drowned. At the’tirst approach of the sea large numbers of persons fled from the town in precipitate haste, and sought refuge 111 the mountainous districts in the south. When the hurricane abated and the flood receded the country bordering on the sea coast was found to be strewn with the bodies m men and animals, mingled with the wrecks of dwellS*3 The amount of damage caused caused by ß the flood is beyond estimation. Ovei 12 000 Of the inhabisants of Vellore ar now ami are now living m ™le ami impoversheddw.'llingspintd a better means of shelter is obtainable. Three thousand unfortunate families a-e stated to bo utterly destitute, every portion of their effects having been swept away by the voracious flood. Thousands of acres < f crops which before the present calamity wore in a thriving condition, are totally mined, and the prospects of the sufferers with regard to moans of subsistence are at present of a most discouraging character.

■ms ukesa. tnaf 1 ejoy —two officers shot IVY A SOLDIER. We learn the particulars of a dreadful occurrence at Dccsa (India), from a private letter. Lieutenant Munro, the Adjutant of the 108 th Ucgimcnt, was shot dead on parade bv Private Butler, and wounds inflicted on Captain A. H. Laurie were so severe as to be at once pronounced mortal. Oaptain Laurie died shortly after being removed to his own bungalow. He leaves a wife and two young children. Butler, the murderer succeeded in shooting himself before he could be seized. The deceased officers were great favorites in the regiment, both in raessroom and barracks, . . .. Harlv Qn the morning of the 17th April, Captain Laurie was riding out of his compound, dressed for parade, when Butler snram' from his place of concealment and fired at him. Laurie fell from Ins horse wounded, when the ruffian rc-loaded and fired again. Captain Laurie had now sustaine 1 "two wounds —one in the thigh, and another in the shoulder. The firing at tins unusual time and place brought Mrs Laurie out to ascertain the cause. Her screams, following the shots, brought up the Adjutant (Munro), who galloppod to the spot. Butler saw him approaching, turned towards him, and shot him through the heart Munro never uttered a sound or cry, but foil from his horse dead. Again Butler turned upon bis helpless victim, ami, advancing within three feet of him, inflicted another wound in the presence of Mrs Laurie, who could do nothing to aid her husband. Now Lieutenant Crawford and Captain Stokes came up; they, too, were fired at; the wonder is how they escaped. Colonel Williams, too, had a couple of shots pass unpleasantly near his head. Captain Stokes turned out the quarter guard, v. ho charged the murderer in a body. He ran from the officers’ quarters towards the ration stand, closely pursued by a sergeant Getting into a shed, he expended Ins last cartridge in blowing his own brains out. Lieutenant Munro was buried on the c\ cninj of the I7th, the day on which ho met his death. Captain Laurie died at half-past three on the same day. It was at first intended to amputate his leg, but the operation was not performed, as the other wounds, for which surgical skill could do nothing, were only too clearly mortal.